Browsed byCategory: Giving Back

By: Kirsten Wreggitt, Chief Puzzle Constructor at Puzzles for Good My Grandma made me pancakes in the shape of anything I could imagine – giraffes, Mickey Mouse, unicorns, and of course full moons. Those childhood breakfasts are cherished memories of family gathered together with Grandma at the center in her frilly apron. I remember that she laughed easily, always had a lap for you to sit in, and that she loved frogs. Of course, Kermit the Frog was her favourite,…

When the doctor first told my Mom, “You have Alzheimer’s disease,” I was numb. There I was, only 30 years old, with a newborn son and a mother whose memory was starting to fade. I tried to Google as much as I could about the disease, but panic came the second I saw the words: There is no cure. As hard as this is to talk about, I agreed to share my story with you because I want to see…

November is Make a Will month in Canada – and this is my sixth and final blog post here for the Alzheimer Society. I would like to thank them so much for this incredible opportunity. The work being done by the Alzheimer Society is incredible and so needed. Hopefully one day there will be a cure for this horrible disease. Now on to my post. The law in Ontario is pretty wide open with regards to giving gifts of property…

At the Alzheimer Society, we believe completing your Will and Powers of Attorney for Personal Care and Property makes you a Super Hero. Why? You are putting the needs of others before yourself and protecting what’s important. Death and taxes – two certainties? While working at Royal Trust as a Will and estate planner, many clients would sit in a chair across from me and blurt out … there are two certainties in life: death and taxes. For years,…

A few months ago, my cousin posted a wonderful video of my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary. The year was 1994. My grandfather gave a wonderful, heartfelt speech about what his wife meant to him. The family did skits making fun of the onion sandwich he ordered on their first date. There was even Karaoke. Good times. While the first 50 years of marriage were wonderful for my grandparents, the years that followed for them and for our family were extremely…

Our minds are like our body’s computer – storing precious memories we’ve collected throughout our lifetime. Sadly, when you have Alzheimer’s disease, every memory, thought and feeling you’ve ever experienced is at risk of being lost. Your support of research will help “back up” these memories at risk. Currently, Alzheimer’s disease has no known cure, but great strides are being made into discovering what causes this disease, what types of medication or actions we can take to reduce our risk…

Holly Kotowich and Penny Leclair, employees at Pullan Kammerloch Frohlinger Lawyers, have hosted Coffee Break® events at their workplace since 2007. “We host a Coffee Break event every year because we have staff and employers who deal with Alzheimer’s disease. Every year, it seems we learn somebody close to us has dealt with Alzheimer’s,” says Holly. Coffee Break events can be hosted at your workplace, home, school or anywhere you can serve coffee. Holly says hosting a Coffee Break increases…

For the past few years, Verna Mowat has been hosting a Coffee Break® event on her family farm in the Westman region of Manitoba. Despite wind and rain, people in the community venture down the gravel road to Verna’s farm, where a smile and a warm cup of coffee are waiting for each Coffee Break guest. “Lots of people from the community all come out – from Cypress, Glenboro, even neighbours down the road. I think we had 35 people…

What is it about human beings that we all want to be remembered, be known as more than merely ordinary, be seen as someone who truly made a difference, leave a mark and maybe even make the future a little brighter? I have been working in the area of estate planning for many years, and I have asked the question – “What do you want your legacy to be” to thousands of people. But I had never been asked that…

Some of the biggest box-office hits in the past couple of years focus on Super Heroes…Batman, Captain America, Black Widow…. Super Heroes appear when the planet is under siege from evil and somehow, against all odds, save the day. It’s fun to fantasize about having a Super Hero in your own life to save the day. But here at the Alzheimer Society, we believe everyone has the potential to be a Super Hero, including YOU! But first, let me tell…